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Review: Corsair Gaming Series GS800

by Tarinder Sandhu on 16 July 2012, 10:28 4.0

Tags: Corsair

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Running the numbers

Our testing procedures can be found at this link.

Efficiency

Load 10pc 25pc 50pc 75pc 100pc
Efficiency 78.5pc 88.2pc 89.6pc 87.4pc 85.0pc

Efficiency is very good for a Bronze-rated supply. It actually meets the criteria for Silver, according to our findings. The ratings are marginal, meaning Corsair probably can't market all GS800 supplies as 80 PLUS Silver.

Regulation

In terms of regulation, we're looking at just how well the supply is able to hold to the various lines. The ATX spec. has a +/- 5 per cent leeway on all but the -12V line.

Line/Load 3.3V 5V 12V
10 per cent +1.1pc +1.0pc +1.6pc
50 per cent -0.5pc 0pc

+0.3pc

100 per cent -2.2pc -1.3pc -0.8pc

Most supplies over-volt with little load and under-volt when stressed. The same is true of the GS800. The maximum leeway is less than half that imposed by the ATX specification and, taken from peak to low, doesn't vary by more than 3.3 per cent (3.3V). Nothing to complain about here.

Regulation - cross-load

How about providing uneven loads that stress particular voltage rails? In the first attempt, we've put 60A on the 12V rails, and 1A on the 3.3V and 5V rails. This can actually be somewhat typical for a system heavy on graphics and CPU power. In the second, we've turned the tables and gone for 12A on both the 3.3V and 5V rails - highly unlikely in a real-world environment - and just 2A on the 12V - even more unlikely!

Line/Load 3.3V 5V 12V
Cross-load 12V focus +1.4pc +1.3pc -0.8pc
Cross-load 3.3V/5V focus -2.5pc -1.6pc +1.4pc

Hammering one part of the PSU power delivery while using just a small portion of the other can throw cheaper supplies of out kilter. Maximum variation of 3.9 per cent occurs on the 3.3V line; we're content with seeing anything below five per cent here.

Ripple

Line/Load (mv - p-p max) 3.3V 5V 12V
10 per cent 18mV 20mV 15mV
50 per cent 20mV 25mV 20mV
100 per cent 25mV 25mV 50mV

The ATX v2.2 spec states that the maximum permissible ripple is 120mV for the 12V line and 50mV for others.

PSUs convert AC power into DC, but doing so requires the AC waveform to be suppressed. What we're really testing here is the quality of the supply's rectifier and any smoothing capacitors in getting rid of this unwanted up-and-down ripple.

Per-line ripple is half of what the ATX specification permits. The 12V ripple at full load is usually the worst figure, with AC suppression being hardest to control under this load, but the GS800's 50mW is admirable for a mainstream supply.

Temps

Temperatures Intake Exhaust
10 per cent 26°C 43°C
50 per cent 30°C 37°C
100 per cent 35°C 46°C

The fan isn't activated until the load hits 20 per cent and this is why the PSU is actually cooler at 50 per cent load than at 10 per cent. That said, a 43°C exhaust temperature is well within the remit of the GS800, which is rated to perform to specifications at an ambient 40°C.

Noise

We measured the fan-activation point at 165W DC. The supply is silent at low loads. Providing context, it remains switched off when most PCs are idling. The transistor that controls RPM gradually increases fan speed up to around 70 per cent PSU load. After this level the fan noise is noticeable at all times, so do be aware of this if you plan to pull over 550W on a regular basis, though, of course, internal fan noise - graphics, CPU, fans, etc. - generally drowns out the PSU's.